2 days Ago By ARA
Mediators' efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continue unabated, and both Hamas and Israel claim to be willing to reach an agreement, although the facts make it clear that, for now, these are just words. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government is "ready" to negotiate, although he stressed that he has no intention of halting the bombing. "Military pressure is working," he said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Hours earlier, he had announced that the security cabinet had decided to "increase pressure to further hit Hamas and create optimal conditions for the release of the hostages." This pressure has been evident on the ground. This Sunday, coinciding with the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, at least 40 people were killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to authorities in the Palestinian enclave.
Since Israel unilaterally broke the ceasefire on March 18, nearly a thousand deaths have already been counted. And since October 2023, more than 50,000. This Saturday, Hamas had said it was willing to release "a small number of hostages" in exchange for Israel guaranteeing a ceasefire this Sunday and Monday, during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
A spokesperson for the Islamist group said that talks between the mediators (Egypt, Qatar, and the United States) had intensified in recent days. However, today's bombings demonstrate that Tel Aviv has not accepted this proposal. Attack on medical services In addition, this Sunday the Palestinian Red Crescent Emergency Service (PRCS) announced that it had found 14 bodies, including eight paramedics and a UN worker, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
There, some 15 people, including medics and rescue workers, went missing last Sunday after being attacked by Israeli forces. "The number of recovered bodies has risen to 14, including eight emergency medical technicians from the Palestine Red Crescent teams, five members of the Civil Defense, and one employee of the United Nations agency. Efforts to find more bodies continue," the PRCS confirmed.
The PRCS called for an urgent investigation into the deaths of eight of its emergency personnel, who were attacked while en route to Rafah to treat those wounded by Israeli airstrikes, calling the incident a "war crime." The Israeli military confirmed that it had fired on "suspicious vehicles," including ambulances and a fire truck..
